Star Mexican Riveria - 1/24 - 2/1 Review

The following is a VERY long rambling commentary of our recent 8 day cruise on the Norwegian Star, along the Mexican Riviera. It’s not really a reiview, as it has way too much detail, and it doesn’t cover the things that most trip reports cover. If you don’t like long rambling trip summaries, then skip this one. In short, the cruise was great. We are Freestyle fans and we enjoy the alternative restaurants, much more than the normal dining room. If those things don't appeal to you, then you should ask yourself why you are cruising NCL, and you might be better served on a different line.

 

 

 

Background:

 

 

 

January 24th, 8 day sailing of the Norwegian Star from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.

 

 

 

Partner and I (from Atlanta), travelling with the inlaws (from Kentucky) for their 50th wedding anniversary. My 3rd time on the Star (2 Hawaii - one Atlantis Charter, one with the in-laws), Partner's 4th time (3 Hawaii - 2 Atlantis, 1 with his parents), Inlaws' 2nd time (1 Hawaii). Partner and I have cruised many times; many on NCL, once on Celebrity (will do so again in March ‘05), and Carnival (never again).

 

 

 

We booked our cruise through Travelocity, and the In-laws directly with NCL, on a prior booking. In-laws got traditional booklet with tickets, luggage tags, paperwork, etc. Travelocity provided E-Docs only, with limited notice that "this would be all you get/need". Other than pre-registering online with John Ashcroft, everything else would be at the pier. Originally booked outside balconies, but eventually got upgrades to the Picasso and the Matisse Owner's suites, 10056 and 9006 respectively.

 

 

 

First time on the Star was March '02. Ship was shiny and fresh, having been in the water only a few months. Last time for me on the star was Sept. '03, and she was certainly fraying around the edges. I was nervous about how she would look a year and a half later, but shouldn't have been. The drydock in San Francisco made the requisite changes (to be discussed) and appeared to have touched up all the shoddy things we noticed in '03. She looked as near as new as I could have imagined.

 

 

 

Our Sailing:

 

8 day sailing leaving on a Monday, returning on a Tuesday. Average age appeared to be high (not Holland America high, but certainly not Carnival age either). Best guess was average age 60+. Several staff said that this was a “slightly younger” crowd than average, so who knows? Lots of gray hair on board, but several younger folks also. Fewer children than in Hawaii, but still saw several. Cruise started out with all announcements (including Muster) in both English and French. ???? Suspected that there must have been a large group on board, however as day 2 arrived, French announcements stopped. No explanation, and while I did hear a few people speaking French, never really saw or felt the presence of any large organized group. Not that it would matter, just sometimes a large group can tend to dominate a ship.

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty of stevedores to take your luggage. For anyone with E-docs this might be a problem as you pick up your lugggage tags at the pier. We borrowed the excess tags from the inlaws, as we took all the luggage on the first run (filled the trunk and the back seat) and had all the luggage go to their suite, and we'd sort it out later. I honestly don't know where/how you were supposed to get your luggage tags if you had e-docs.

 

 

 

Long line (as usual) to get into the check in area (perhaps 20 minutes) until we got to the "VIP/Suites/Latitudes - others" split. 4 of us in 2 owner's suites, so we got in our line where Al the Concierge was waiting for us. Check-in took 5 minutes, and then Al took us immediately on board. Security screening, mandatory hand sanitizer at the gangway, and voila, we're on the ship. Quick elevator ride to the suite and WOW! Amazing suite. I had seen the pictures on the net, but was not prepared for the amount of space.

 

 

 

Our sailing was the Monday after the huge 40" inches of snow in Boston. MANY MANY people (approx 70) did not make the ship in Los Angeles (San Pedro). Can't understand why people fly on the same day as the ship sails, but they do, and we heard horror stories all week long. (more on that later). However, some people who tried to fly the day before sailaway didn’t make the ship either. Just one of those bad weekends to fly. There were many cabins that were sold but went unoccupied for the entire week. L

 

 

 

Ship sailed on time 4:10, and as usual for Los Angeles Departures, sail-away temperature was actually quite cool. Cool temperatures would remain until the morning of arrival in Acapulco. Obvious who was from Los Angeles, or who had sailed the west coast before, as they had the hoodies and long sleeve t-shirts. People fled indoors quickly after sail away.

 

 

 

Saw two seals in the channel at San Pedro. Very Cool. For those who are unfamiliar with San Pedro, it is an ugly port, very industrial, and not a passenger friendly cuise port. The terminal is adequate, it’s just the path to get to the port is not scenic/beautiful. The difference between that port and the Carnival facility at Long Beach (Queen Mary) is amazing, even though they are within sight distance of each other. Not complaining, it is what it is, just telling it like I see it. San Pedro is where everything from China enters the US, and if you have any doubts as to the export engine that is China, then spend a few minutes at the Port of Los Angeles/San Pedro/Long Beach.

 

 

 

Sailing out of the channel, you pass some waterfront restauarants/bars. One of them (whose patio was empty, as it wasn't happy hour/dinner time yet), came on their loudspeaker and wished us a pleasant cruise and safe travels. Nice touch!

 

 

 

Again, Parly Cloudy cool weather (typical California weather in January) and Dry!

 

 

 

 

 

Itinerary:

 

 

 

Embarkation Los Angeles: Day 0

 

Day 1: Sea Day

 

Day 2: Sea Day

 

Day 3: Acapulco (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m [previously scheduled as an overnight until 2:00 a.m. but modified to get to Zihuatenjo on time]

 

Day 4: Zihuatenejo 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

 

Day 5: Puerto Vallarta 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

 

Day 6: Cabo San Lucas: - 4:00 p.m.

 

Day 7: Sea Day

 

Day 8: Disembarkation Los Angeles 7:00 a.m. (first passengers off at 7:30)

 

 

 

 

 

Acapulco was ok. A city well past its sell-by date. Took the Cliff Divers tour, which was a bus to the site of the cliff divers. We were marched off the bus, to a restaurant with a great terrace view of the divers, and a free beverage and chips/salsa. I bolted down the hillside to get a close up shot as the divers were ready to go. I paid my 30 pesos to get down to the overlook, and watched the last two divers. Pretty neat. I climb back up the hillside to the restaurant where we are told that the divers were putting on a second show for the cruise passengers. ??? (apparently the 1st show was for the general peeps, and there is usually only one show, as all of the locals had deserted the overlook). So, seeing that there are plenty of good vantage points on the overlook, Partner and I race back down, leaving the in-laws on the terrace. We get to the “admission” booth, and the 30 peso price has now jumped to $7.00 US. I figured that my first ticket wouldn’t get me down there again, but to now have to pay more than 2.5 times the original price, really peeved me. The guy at the gate said that the new price “included a beer”, and I told him that he just lost two sales. We went back up to the overlook and watched the show just fine. After the divers, the restaurant put on a good 10-15 minute folklore show with 5 performers. Quick bus ride through the city, obligatory stop at some store (Silver I think), and then back to the ship.

 

 

 

Leaving at Midnight ships time (1:00 a.m. local time) allowed most people to enjoy a dinner off the ship, or perhaps a late happy hour sunset time at the beach clubs. Discos and such don’t get hopping until later, so the midnight departure really didn’t add much. I know that the lure of Acapulco is a big draw for this itinerary, but honestly I didn’t think that there was that much to do in the daytime, and the now earlier departure time killed most of the nightlife options. Again, for the average age of the pax, it probably didn’t matter.

 

 

 

Picked up about 40 people that had missed the ship in Los Angeles. Most of them were from Buffalo. Sorry that their trip was marred by the weather, but they sure were eager to tell their story throughout the rest of the cruise. I’m not making light of it, but you could tell who they were as on day 4 they were still lost on the ship, looking at deck plans and wall markers trying to find everything. Well, as we picked up some new friends, we apparently left a few behind as well. People were still boarding with only a few minutes before sail-away, (F-I-L counted 43 people who boarded the ship after the supposed “passengers aboard” time, and reportedly more than a few were left behind. (this would be at trend to be repeated in PV and Cabo).

 

 

 

Zihuat was too early of a morning, given the sailing from Acapulco. Limited options for shore excursions, and tender operation (which further limits time in port), meant that we would stay on ship today. However, souvenir hunting caused us to dart out quickly for a trinket, and return to the ship. Zihuat was very scenic, just not much to do if you have to be back on ship at 2:00 (last tender at 1:30) and you are not an early riser. (notice the trend here?)

 

 

 

Puerto Vallarta is our favorite city in Mexico, so we were looking forward to our day here. Best shore excursion of the cruise for us was the Canopy Adventure. This was an amazing “zip line” course. 9 (I think, maybe more) traverses, one over 600 feet long and 75+feet high, and the course finishes with a 50 foot rappel. Just an amazing thing, and well worth the shore ex price. The tour includes a 45 minute ride (each way) in truck/jeep, type thing, very bouncy, exposed to the wind and dust. Not for the stylishly coiffed. It does however go well outside the city, and you get a great view of the mountains and the interior. You see some spectacular scenery on the way out of PV. We noticed the price at the tour office was $15 less than the shorex price. So, now you know NCL’s markup over street price. Back on board ship, for a shower, and dinner, and wait, there’s the announcement again for multiple passengers to “kindly contact reception”, which is code for you scanned out, but we don’t show you having scanned back in. Repeated calls for 3 sets of guests, as the ship is already sailing, so one assumes that they were either found, or left behind.

 

 

 

In Cabo we took the “coastal Highlights” tour. This is the standard bus tour that stops at a Glass Factory (didn’t get off the bus), a very cool restaurant that has a great vantage point to view the arch, and then a stop at a small town square, and finally Cactus World!!! This is a fine excursion that is non-taxing, and gives a quick snapshot of what life in Cabo would be like if you retired there. Got exactly what we paid for, so no complaints. However, after the Canopy adventure in PV, any excursion would be anti-climatic.

 

 

 

We should have taken the whale watching tour instead, as the returning guests were just gushing about it. Apparently the morning tour saw next to nothing, while the afternoon tour got a once in a lifetime show. The whole pod was playful, but 3 whales in particular put on a show for over 30 minutes. Multiple breaches, fluke slaps, etc. Note that the whale watching excursion was on a large catamaran type vessel, and was liquor included. It was not an intimate experience, but a large group style event. Not quite a booze cruise, but apparently it was flowing freely. However, the excursion is not marketed as such, so more than a few people were surprised by that. If being around alcohol (and those who may drink to excess) bothers you, then you might want to think twice about this one.

 

 

 

We were all set to sail away from Cabo at 4:00, ship started to turn, all was well, then we stopped. Apparently, we had left some passengers behind. We would be delayed about 45 minutes. Multiple conflicting stories, but general consensus was that it was a Shorex tour that had gotten back late, and apparently it wasn’t readily known that it was a ship’s tour, and the vessel started to sail without them. However, as the harbor master brought the pax out to the ship, there were lots of boos and catcalls from balcony staterooms. I was in the spa area, so missed that bit of amusement. Now, the next day is a sea day, with nowhere to be, so I’m not quite sure why the latecomers were booed (even if they were simply drunk and lost track of time), no one was really inconvenienced. Finally got under way, beautiful sunset, wonderful day comes to an end.

 

 

 

Rough seas heading out of Cabo. Hmmm we sure do seem to be moving fast, and rocking a lot, as if we’re making up for lost time. Pool in the spa gets closed as the ocean waves and ship’s motion are just right to cause 3ft swells in the lap pool. Spa Manageress has a stroke when she sees us body surfing in the lap pool, and comes flying into the area telling us to get out, right as the spray from one wave clears the wall and is visible from the spa reception desk outside on deck 11. WOO HOO! Steiner chicks look shocked. Lap pool is closed for the remainder of the cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

Restaurants:

 

 

 

For dinner we ate in Cagney’s, Aqua, Le Bistro (twice), Ginza (main room) and Ginza for Teppanyaki. Cagney’s always seemed to have a crowd, Le Bistro was busy, but not swamped, and Ginza of course was deserted. As I was passing Ginza one afternoon, I overheard one member of the Greatest Generation say “why would you want to eat that food”. Pretty much sums it up; younger pax embraced the Freestyle concept, and the international cuisine, while the older pax did not, and they shunned Ginza like the plague. I know I’m too young to understand it, but I’m sure it harkens back to the war years.

 

 

 

Main dining rooms were busy, Trattoria was almost always booked (it’s free of course) and the others, were never booked solid, often you could get late same day reservations. Food was good in all restaurants. While we enjoyed the room in SoHo, the menu (other than surf and turf) just doesn’t gel. Service was great, the room is trendy but not off-putting, but the fusion menu options just weren’t a hit, and we would have been better off going to Cagney’s again.

 

 

 

I also did the $10 all you can eat sushi lunch. Sushi conveyor lunch counter consistently had the youngest room (except for kids club) on the ship. Never saw anyone over 40 at the sushi bar. It’s not made clear (language issues), but the conveyor items are all vegetable/surimi items (California rolls). No raw fish. (tuna, shrimp, etc). Those could be ordered off the a la carte sushi menu for a nominal fee ($2.00 for a six piece tuna roll). Not a bad price, but makes the $10 conveyor lunch seem somewhat mispriced. You could do 3 – 4 roll or sashimi orders, and have more food than you could reasonably eat, and pay less than the price for the non-fish conveyor menu. However, there were some amazing mango/surimi rolls with roe that were quite tasty. The Sushi was fresh, and presentation was great, but the Sushi Chefs (Nobel and Noble) were the highlight of the lunch. They were very eager to please and very concerned about whether you liked their work. Their concern seemed genuine, and somewhat amazing given that one of the Nobel’s has been on the ship for 3 contracts!

 

 

 

This has run on too long, so I’m going to wrap it up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes from the Hawaii run:

 

 

 

Obviously most people know that "Las Ramblas", the so-called Tapas Bar, has been converted to "Cagney's" steak house. Deck 13 Mid Ship, only really accessible from the mid-ship elevators. many people never saw this space during the week. The layout, menu, everything is exactly like Cagney's on the Norwegian Dawn. This is a phenomenal change from "Las Ramblas". Obviously in the Norwegian language "tapas bar" means self service tortilla chips with nacho cheese, and maybe an empenada. Certainly nothing like a tapas bar in Barcelona, as the room's name would lead you to believe. All kidding aside, the change to Cagneys converts an under untilized space, "Las Ramblas", and adds one more location to the alternative dining restaurants. More specificially, this gives the Square State folks a chance to order a big steak and a baked potato without losing their sense of patriotism by having to order anything that sounds too "French", like in Le Bistro. The meal we had was excellent, and the service was excellent also.

 

 

 

One downside to this change is that the Star Bar is now much busier, and just like any good steakhouse, you are directed there to wait before you are seated. The Star Bar used to be an almost intimate area, with a great view from deck 13, with glass walls on 2 sides, overlooking the pool and the ocean. The difference from Hawaii was remarkable, as the Star Bar used to be deserted, and now was quite busy.

 

 

 

Endless Summer, the alternative restaurant on deck 8, right above the main atrium, has been changed to a Tex Mex menu (again, similar to the menu on the Dawn). We didn't eat here, but walked through several times. Only slight decor changes from Hawaii. Menu 100% different than Hawaii. Never saw this room crowded. Reservations required, no cover charge. Honestly, the menu on the Dawn wasn't that good, so didn't try it here.

 

 

 

Dazzles Disco was converted into the Star Club Casino. With an average age of 70+ in Hawaii, Dazzles was WAY TOO BIG of a space, and is much better now as a casino. Typical assortment of table games and machines with bad odds (slots, video poker/video keno). Saw a hilarious sign on several machines stating that this bank of machines was certified loose, with 95% payback. Yep, they were proudly offering 95% payback on those slots. While that may be better than the other machines, and better than other cruise lines (I have no idea as I don't play slots), I do know that 95% is not something that Vegas casinos would be advertising as a good thing.

 

 

 

The Casino area has now converted the private dining area from Soho (the former "Andy's Room" into a Texas Hold 'Em room. WOO HOO! 3 tables, minimum $3-$6, only ever saw one in operation, with a 10% rake, capped at $5. Very little promotion of the fact that they had Poker, and very hard to find, as ther room is technically outside of the original casino layout, but always a game. Hope this stays!

 

 

 

Carousel Bar has been extended, so as to operate as a disco now that Dazzles is gone. The impact of this is that the private karaoke rooms were removed and replaced with banquettes and additional seating. Karaoke is available here most nights (some late nights), but it is full room karaoke, and not the private rooms like before. Other nights/early evenings had a singer performing pop tunes (Dave Matthews, John Mayer, etc). Somewhat out of touch given the average age of the passengers, but he was good.

 

 

 

Pearl Bar (Martini Bar) got a makeover from Hawaii, but I honestly don't know what it was called then. It is now a VERY stylish room, heavy asian modern touches with emphasis on Martinis. No chinese lanterns, but definite Asian feel. Very Cool room, tucked away in a corner off of the carousel bar, could be a nice intimate space with flair, but the atmosphere is ruined by the bleed-over of the karaoke performances. If you don't like karaoke then be warned. If you do like Karaoke, then you would be better served in the Carousel bar area, as you have line of sight to the performers. I remember this room previously (or perhaps on the Dawn) having doors to close it off, but didn't notice them now. I could be mistaken.

 

 

 

Paint job on the hull adding many "stars", very similar to the Dawn and the NCL America ships. Can't say that I appreciated the stars, but it does add color to the front of the ship, and well, you certainly can't forget her name after seeing them. They aren't ugly, but just didn't do anything for me.

 

 

 

We did notice one minor area where the drydock/rehab didn't go so well. There were previously two feathered Polynesian mask/shields in the elevator area mid ship, deck 6. These obviously don't match the new Mexico/Alaska itinerary, and so they were removed. We noticed their absence, only because we had been on the ship before. The one on the left had been removed, and the points where it was attached to the wall had been repaired with a putty that somewhat matched the wall covering. Only someone looking FOR IT would have noticed it, and even then it was a good job of covering it up, 90% out of 100%. The one on the left however, looked like my 2 year old nephew tried to repair the spot. Putty was a different color, wasn't smoothed out, and was noticeable to anyone who looked at the wall, regardless of whether they knew that something had been there previously.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

 

 

Still have a soft spot for the Star as it was my first cruise ship, and the recent refurb was a success. The alternative restaurants were well worth the additional charge, as the rooms are more intimate, and the service is exceptional. Mexican Riviera itinerary was very nice, I enjoyed the 2 sea days at the beginning, as it makes for a good decompression before you hit your first port. 2 days with no phone, no email (if you choose), no newspapers, etc. Very relaxing. Could have used more time in some ports, but I realize that there are limits in order to get to the next port. Staff and crew were wonderful, rooms were clean.

 

 

 

My only real complaint was that the Captain’s morning announcement is broadcast in the stateroom, while all other announcements (except muster) are broadcast in the hallways and televisions only. It is really annoying when the captain comes on in your stateroom at 8:00 a.m. to tell you ANYTHING. At 8:00 a.m. I don’t want to hear anything from the captain IN my stateroom, other than an emergency, and I certainly don’t want to hear him prattle on about the weather. Hallways, TV’s and public spaces certainly. The loudspeaker over my bed, after I went to great lengths to keep mother nature's sunrise out, no! :eek:

Thank you very much for taking the time to write and post such a great review. It was very informative.

Wonderful review! BTW, All-you-can eat-sushi on the Dawn, did include fish items, salmon-tuna-and a curious spicy tuna with Japanese (sweet) mayo that the (Phillippino) sushi chef had concocted. Very fun. We also heard folks refusing to eat in Le Bistro because it was French. Makes my life easier, and God knows the French don't care. Wonder if people avoid the Bier Garten on some NCL ships because of WWII?

Wonder if people avoid the Bier Garten on some NCL ships because of WWII?

 

Short answer is no, because it's usually on deck 13, and the Greatest Generation members won't climb the stairs to get to it.

 

(i'm kidding)

 

However, after 8 days on the Star I definitely had my share of older pax stopping in mid hallway, with no idea of where they were going. I know I'll be that age someday, and I hope I'm still cruising.

Great Review--Informative and entertaining! Not many people can pull that off.

 

A couple of questions- what time is the muster drill? Is the Bier Garten a good place to do a meet & greet after the muster?

 

Thanks a bunch.

Thanks for the review! Was especially good to se the changes from Hawaii. I was on the cruise that took the star from Mexico to Hawaii originally and was curios as to what changes have been made!

 

Thanks again!

Great Review--Informative and entertaining! Not many people can pull that off.

 

A couple of questions- what time is the muster drill? Is the Bier Garten a good place to do a meet & greet after the muster?

 

Thanks a bunch.

 

I believe that Muster was at 3:30/3:45, right before sail away although the first full announcement was at least a full 45 minutes before.

 

(Side note, as the pax age was older, there was a huge congestion in the hallways ,especially in forward elevator/stairwells near theater on decks 6-7 immediately after muster. Most everyone was waiting for elevators. Since a majority of the pax were in need of the elevators versus being able to take the stairs, it made it very difficult to maneuver for a bit.

 

I'm sure that the Bier Garten was open for sail away, (I honestly don't remember) but as the temperatures were cool, people didn't hang around outside much once we got underway. I know it was open every day after that, especially in the later afternoons

My boyfriend and I are sailing on the NCL STAR Jan 4th to Jan 12th 2006, and was wondering if someone could give me a better idea of the weather? :confused: I know LA may be cool with temps of 50's-70's. I'm thinking I should pack more warm clothes than tropical? Is there any point in packing shorts/sleeveless shirts?

I'm coming from N.J., so ANYTHING on the left coast would be warmer than it will be here at that time..

My boyfriend and I are sailing on the NCL STAR Jan 4th to Jan 12th 2006, and was wondering if someone could give me a better idea of the weather? :confused: I know LA may be cool with temps of 50's-70's. I'm thinking I should pack more warm clothes than tropical? Is there any point in packing shorts/sleeveless shirts?

 

I'm coming from N.J., so ANYTHING on the left coast would be warmer than it will be here at that time..

 

I live in So Cal and January can be anywhere from 65 - 85 degrees, rainy or sunny. But you are only going to be in LA for a few hours! The first few days at sea I am sure will be chilly, but Mexico is warmer, so I'd pack a light jacket and bring your shorts/sleeveless shirts too.

 

I am going on the Star on 11/9/05 and I am packing summer clothes as well as jeans and light sweaters (I tend to get cold in restaurants).